The Beginning of an End
by CelticRefractions
Summary: The World has ended.At times like these,Survival skills of mankind are being tested.It's turned out into a world with gangs and their leaders all competing with one another for the basic elements for life.A survivor who's killed all emotion, battles on.


A thick, dense smoke filled the already dust smitten air, the curls of black smoke slowly rose into the sealed lead sky, that had turned a permanent bloodied ruby even in the night due to the haze of dust, smoke and the smell of was that permanently etched itself across the horizon, shielding the skies. Not a star was seen, and the moon had been permanently obscured now in the nights.  
>The ground was barren, and debris streaked the place. Pieces of metal, ripped away from , vehicles etc. lined on the ground, night brought no relief. Only a permanent tension to loom within the place. The town had all of a sudden turned silent. people had chosen to rather barricade themselves in their cellars, and shops were shut even as the sun set.<p>

The streets that once used to be a haven for people to move about merrily had turned only to prove that it was but a dream. For now, It had turned into a solemn nightmare. It was more of a battlefied, for those who wanted to rip apart the place, for vandals, and street gangs and for those who truly yet wanted to fight, even after so many years.A creak could be heard,a large girder all of a sudden, rising in flame fell down from the skies from a building, right onto the road. The metal girder arched itself and strained from the way it fell, and the flames leapt from it. Silence. Only the sound of the wavering flames were heard in the night. And the next second, a gun shot was heard. A distant roars from engine of the motor cycle was heard, and a scree.  
>An exhilarating yell from a man, and then, silence, once again.<br>The air was hollow, with no wind.

A figure could be spotted, leaning back against the cold alleyway in the midst of the narrow gap between two buildings. A minute later, a distant room brought an image of a motor cycle, to come to a halt, and the fingers sealed in leather gloves eased their firm grip on the brake. The tall figure got off from the bike, and then incline it to the side to a stand. The fingers then reached, to pull open his helmet off his head, letting beads of sweat to the air in little sprinkles jut to the air from the force. The figure was shadowed by the darkness, and you couldnt see his face. He walked towards the other man, leaning back against the wall, slipping in to the alleyway himself. The other man made no movement, he simply watched the other now settle himself, and face the man fully.

"So, Where is it?" came the male voice of the man leaning back in the other man looked at him, and one could feel his chest rising and falling from perspiration.  
>"Its beneath the main building in the city. Its in the is laid within a secret chamber on the told us about it yesterday."<br>"And are we to trust you on this? If what you say isn't true. You do realise what the consequences..."the man's voice turned more into a threatening, cold harsh tone in an instant "will be."  
>The two figures remained, without a movement, in the silence, for a whole minute. You could hear distant sounds, of an occasional fire erupting from a building here and there. "Yes, I do. " came the other man's voice.<br>"Well, In that case. We shall have your desire granted then, my friend. You will be the next leader to the assured."  
>"You will keep up your word then?"came his voice, in a low tone.<br>"But of course. Its after all... a promise"  
>"So they're moving out there then? When are you sending all of them in?"his tone fell down to hushed whispers.<br>"Tonight."came the casual voice of the other man."You had best go back there then. You wouldnt want them to suspect you. Just keep off the 46th floor of the building."came the man's voice, and a soft click of the lighter could be heard, and it illuminated the man's greasy face just for a moment, his emerald eyes shining under the flame of the lighter momentarily, as he drew a cigarette to his mouth. The flame fell, and only spiraling silver smoke could be now seen, emanating from the corner.

The man's throat was now dry. He turned around, and watched him from the corner of his eye. "One more thing... I know Ive said this before, but.."he let out a deep breath, as he moved back,and threw his leg around the seat of the bike, his leather gloves gripping the bike sturdily.  
>"All you have to do is make sure she doesnt get to that floor. Make sure only Nathan gets there. Get out of the place with he as soon as you hear a blast. "he said, letting out another silver puff to emanate from the darkness.<p>

"The blast will take place precisely at 1:49 a.m."

His eyes moved towards his wrist, as he looked at his watch. It was almost 1:00 a.m. there, already. His eyes shot back towards the man,who had now disappeared, into the alleyway. His eyes widened slightly, as he looked for him, peering through his hazel eyes. But he was no longer there. He pulled his helmet on, letting the cooling glass drop, so as to not expose his a frown and a distant grimace escape,his eyes narrowed, he wrenched and then ;gripped the handles, using his leg sturdily to arch the bike into a graceful arc to turn the bike around and then pulled on the accelerator, so that the sound rang through the place once again, leaving a trail of the bike's tyres of the arc on the road.  
>_<p>

A single light fell over on the cemented ground. Figures remained as they were, leaning against various large mechanical pieces of junk that remained there. It seemed to be like an overly large underground warehouse.  
>"Well then, my fellow bladers"came a cool, quiet voice of a male.<br>"Tonight, we have a little work to do. I suppose you all remember what Ive told you about yesterday?"

There were little movements, and mumbles of assent all around. There easily were about thirty people in there, for certain. A man stepped into the light. His dark hair fell across his face, and his blue eyes shone under the single light.  
>"All right. Lets get to it. If we're able. To finish this by today night. We will be able to bring down complete destruction to the other place we have in mind."he said, slowly, toning his voice down, as he stressed on every single word, with pauses in the was a dull murmur across the place, that echoed throughout the warehouse.<p>

"Any objections?"came his voice, sternly. The buzz died down in at once.  
>People shook their head. His eyes however, shot towards the distant corner, somewhere unseen, that was clouded in darkness.<br>His eyes flickered strangely, and his voice dropped to a softer tone.  
>" will accompany me." came his voice, in a soft gentle tone, his eyes falling distinctly to someone within the darkness.<p>

Steps resounded through the place. None made a noise. Even as they did, Nathan aired his instruction to the rest. "Get to work!"he called, harshly through the noises of scraping of metal was heard, and everyone began moving through the place. The lights in the place flickered on. All at once, you could see that the place was more like an old factory than anything else. Large metal pieces layed about here and there, in their slag piles. Most of the debris had been collected, and piled up to the corners. It seemed now certain as to the fact that everyone had been sitting on these slag heaps, rather than chairs or anything. The people were all dressed in black.

There was a woman with long blonde curls dressed in a mini skit, and a top that exposed her cleavage slightly. There were many others who adorned a very fanciful style, and it had seemed that most of them had been sporting some sort of a tattoo on their skin, needled out into giant dragons, on men with biceps. and others simply wore loose baggy clothes, and leather gloves and of them held a distinct tool, a screwdriver or something similar.  
>It had been the same scene for years now.<br>Common man had now familiarized with every possible tool. And now, every one of them knew the art. Of designing chips. Large men pulled out giant metal, and silicon from the debris needed for their construction. The women and some to hers reassembled these little chips, and then designed them. The place was more of an underground factory than anything.

Making weapons.

His azure eyes met her dark, penetrating, silent ones. He looked into her eyes, as if wondering what she could be thinking of the moment. She was plain, and simple. She was merely in a black dress,and she stood right in front of him, without saying a word. Her skin was rather pale, and her lips were soft and pale as well. Her dark hair fell across her forehead, grazing her face gently, and reached to the small of her and fear flashed in a youth's hazel eyes, as he watched her go with him. He had to stop her...  
>This he hadnt been expecting. But how? He had no other choice. He had to follow them. The pair of them left the place, shutting the door behind them.<p>

Her eyes reached up to look through the way they were heading, rather than meeting his eyes. Nathan looked at her sideways, almost expectantly, as if she were going to ask something about where they were heading to, presumably. But she didnt. She remained silent. Their steps reverberated through the lone corridor, as he pushed the button to the elevator. Almost at one, you could hear the sound of the ropes going up, and simultaneously, the elevator lift coming down. He pushed open the screens ajar, and then moved away, to let her in first. She stepped into the lift, and felt the screens closing in. Her eyes moved to his hand, as she noticed that he had pressed onto the floor '47'.

The elevator began to rise slowly. She felt the sensation up in her chest and legs. She silently stayed still. She then felt his voice coming from behind her.  
>"Verine. You will realize that the place I'm having to take you is of a great importance. It concerns not only the future of the RipBladers, but of the citizens of this country as well."he muttered to her, so that only she would be able to hear. She nodded from where she was, slightly. All of a sudden, she felt his hand move around to place his on her shoulders. Her eyes widened slightly but the pupils of her eyes narrowed, as she felt him move closer to her, and then move his lips closer to her ear, and whisper "This has a great deal to do with you and me as well..."he whispered to her, in a soft voice. She felt her body straining, and her hands slowly arching from where she stood, but she didnt move, nor say a word. Her eyes gave a distinct gleam of some unknown emotion.<p>

The lift had stopped. Nathan had moved away from her. She stepped out in to the place. She felt the cold wind surge past her the moment she did, so that her strands of black hair gently grazed her face. The floor had no walls. It was abandoned at the time of pillars held up the floors above. She stood now, her gaze falling down towards the view of the cold city and a distant view of the ruins below. The breeze surged past to caress her face, making her lips even more pale. Nathan had left her side. He had moved across, right to the middle of the place, frowning at the dusty floor. He bent down, and mumbled something indistinct, before pulling over an unseen, concealed latch. The square piece came off the floor. His eyes softened, but nevertheless, there was a certain gleam of pride in his eyes.

He called to her. Her gaze slowly left the place, and then she found herself moving over to look over. Her lips moved apart, her eyes narrowed at the sight.  
>"The Ultreaxis. You made it."she said, quietly. Her voice was soft. and yet, it had some hidden enigma in it. Her eyes looked in to the piece. It seemed more of an extended robotic arm than anything else. It was set in a glass case, and It had been made from glass as well. The chips had been embedded in their places, just... as per the design. Nathan looked up at her, smiling, before standing up, his eyes moving to it too.<p>

"Its your design. I have kept my word. I had it made. For you."he whispered, his azure eyes gleaming, as he looked down at the robotic arm.  
>She bent down now, her hands moving mechanically to ease the piece from its case. Her eyes twinkled, as she looked at it, keenly. Just the right precision. The angles, and the junctions to the diodes had been perfect. Her lips now eased. For the first time. To a strange smile. Something that had never happened before. But then, they were back, to their normal expressionless self. She whispered slowly.<br>"Its not safe here, Nathan. You cannot trust anyone are planning to sell it off to Biotech, are'nt you?"she said, quietly. He looked at her now, frowning slightly, as he raised an eyebrow, looking down at her.

"Biotech wants our support in finishing the war. At last. I mean to only help them."he said, his voice changing, to a slightly colder voice, as he looked at held the robotic arm in her hands, and yet stood where she was, now turning to face him.  
>"Biotech will only use it to finish their project on their new virus. If it spreads through the town, it will only bring new problems to us."she said, her voice remained expressionless, but it had trembled slightly.<br>"You have no idea how powerful this is."she said, quietly.  
>"Oh, I know how powerful it is. Its meant to be. If its designed by you."he said, softly, as he came closer to her, looking at her, directly into the eyes,smiling.<p>

1:48 a.m.

His hazel eyes flashed. He felt a sinking rage into him, as he watched Nathan come forward. He felt himself looking now at Verine. She had stepped back, and was looking back at him coldly. He grit his teeth now. His heart thudded against his chest. They had no just had to get her off the site.  
>She was only too precious to die. Time had come to act. He felt himself rush forwards now, and then run towards him. Nathan's eyes hardly even turned about to look, when...<p>

1:49 a.m.

A tremendous blast shook through the place, from the blast roared through his ears, and stinging pain was felt through their skin. The force of of the blast struck through the skies, in a raging blast. The body closest to the elevator, of Nathan blew with the flames and the power, sending him smashing against,with the blast, through the invisible wall, into the cold felt herself being thrust to the floor,hard. He reached out an arm, his eyes had narrowed to beads, as he fell down, from the sky scraper. The storey crumbled, and the place trembled. The pillars had almost given away. The dust stirred up through the place heavily, sending yet another deep smoke to emerge from the skies.  
>_<p>

"It has to be is the only one who knows enough guide us at his point. "came a voice.  
>"Nathan. I cant believe this"came a trembling female voice from somewhere, as if she were almost choked in on tears.<br>"We know we all have to die sometime, Lisa."came a harsh voice, to snap at the girl who was crying. She suppressed a sob, and then looked back at the man who spoke with her grey eyes.  
>"Ive never understood why no one thinks it cant be her who killed all know she went up there with him. It was all a conspiracy."she muttered, looking over somewhere, and muttering under her breath, as she crossed her legs. Verine's lips moved slightly. But they didnt let escape a word. Her skin bore minor scratches here and there. Her hair now fell over to her forehead, obscuring her eyes. She had her head inclined, and she had all throughout stood, standing silently in the corner, in the shadows.<br>The man sighed deeply.  
>"Im afraid we'll have to decide on this ourselves. Drew in in no condition to be here. He'll only be discharged tonight. Its a miracle you two survived"he mumbled, as he looked over to the corner where Verine was standing.<br>Everyone now followed his gaze, and turned about to watch the corner, where Verine stood, folding her arms. She had closed her eyes, and her head was yet inclined, her having stood in the shadows confined.

"Verine. We want you to lead the Rip Bladers. Will you please accept?"came his voice, rather firmly. Everyone looked at her, as if wondering about what she would say. Lisa feigned a cough somewhere from behind. She didn't say a word. he just stood, silently. Lisa opened her mouth, incredulously, as if to say "Ha! see?"  
>and the next second, her lips trembled for a moment, and then opened slightly.<p>

"I accept your offer."she said, quietly, at last.

Everyone watched her, astonished, for a whole minute.  
>She slowly tilted her head up, and opened her eyes. Her deep obsidian eyes looked up, to gaze past all of them.<br>"There are traitors in this place."she said, silently."Those who yet wish to remain and go against the RipBladers may leave, now. I will have to warn you all. The consequence of treachery will be drastic."she said, quietly.  
>No one moved, nor made a sound. She straightened herself once, before slowly stepping forward once.<br>"We have work to do this will not however be about manufacturing. "she said. "I will need you all to assemble by the ruin city."she said.  
>a Dull murmur ran around the place. She looked at them once, before stepping out of the place, out of her own accord, her arms yet folded. On her neck, you could spot a deep gash, from the previous night. She wouldnt let anyone attend to her. What happened the previous night would solely be in her memory.<p>

She stepped out of the warehouse, and walked, towards the was noon by the time. The sun never really shone on the place. The sky was sealed with a permanent deep grey of smoke and mist, making the weather seem cold, permanently. Her eyes dropped, to watch her steps, as she made them. They echoed through her own mind. Her head seemed rather heavier than usual. After effects, perhaps. She knew it had to happen some day. Her own steps echoed in her mind. She hardly knew where she was walking.  
>She turned to her left. Her head hung dead, and heavy. It seemed like she had a head ache. She felt her own hand reach to the glass door, and then move in to the place. Her eyes screened the place hazily once, before stepping up over to the waitress, and seating herself.<p>

"A hot coffee"she said, silently, not looking at the waitress, but into the thin air, as if lost in thought. Her head hurt, badly. She had seen his emerald eyes look back at her. And then she remembered what Drew had told her yesterday.  
>It was all more of a confusing thought as of the moment. It hardly even made sense. But now, she felt it sinking in to felt the meaning rushing in to her mind.<p>

And for humans, Prognosis isn't any good.

She wondered how longer this was going to go. Her eyes flickered, as she felt the hot coffee being set in front of her.  
>"Are you alright?"the waitress asked, looking concerned, through her soft voice. Verine looked up at her, and let a wholehearted smile cross her face.<br>They would live on... It would be okay.  
>"Yes, I think I will be"she replied to her, softly, as she let the hot coffee caress her dry throat, and she felt herself close her eyes.<br>_

"You fool. "came the voice of the greasy man's voice once again, as he looked at the limp figure of the man, now on the bed.  
>"You're letting your emotions get to your head. You sacrificed the position of the leader for her?"came his raging voice.<br>A small smirk crossed Drew's face.  
>"Oh, dont speak when you know nothing. "he replied.<br>The curtains of the hospital rippled gently, through the four walls of scraped away, blackened ruins of the building that had been 'reconverted' into a place of healing.


End file.
